Support for can body internal treating devices



NOV. 11, 1958 socK 2,859,729

SUPPQR': FOR CAN BODY INTERNAL TREATING DEVICES Filed July 6, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 1 1 Z715 Zii7 2 J 5 12 I I Aqua! INVENTOR.

JOHN E. SOCKE ATTORNEYS Nov. 11, 1958 J. E. socKE 2,859,729

SUPPORT FOR CAN BODY INTERNAL TREATING DEVICES Filed July 6, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOHN E. SOCKE M4 WXM AT TORNEYVS United States Patent SUPPORT FOR CANBODY INTERNAL TREATING DEVICES John E. Socke, Pelham Manor, N. Y.,assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewJersey Application July 6, 1956, Serial No. 596,188

4 Claims. (Cl. 118-317) The present invention relates to can bodytreating machines having devices over which can bodies are telescopedfor treating their interior surfaces and has particular reference toimproved means for supporting the treating devices between advancing canbodies which are successively spaced without interference with theircontinuous advancement. This is an improvement over United States Patent2,760,465 issued August 28, 1956 to I. F. Hawkins on Support for Devicesfor Internally Treating Moving Can Bodies.

An object of the invention is the provision in a can body treatingmachine of devices for supporting an internally disposed treating devicein a manner which permits can bodies to readily pass over the treatingdevice without interference and which provides for a free floatingsupport of the device.

Another object is the provision of such treating device support means inwhich there is a minimum of wear in.

moving parts and a free smooth uniform operation of rotating parts whichtend to maintain the treating device in a stabilized position.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description, which, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of principal parts of a can body treatingmachine embodying the instant invention, with parts broken away andparts shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially alongthe broken line 2-2 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through one of the elements of theapparatus shown in Figs, 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view taken substantially along a plane indicated bythe broken line 44 in Fig. 2, parts being broken away.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention thedrawings illustrate principal parts of the side seam spraying portion ofa can body making machine such as disclosed in United States Patent2,220,107 issued November 5, 1940 to W. M. Holloway and referred to inthe above mentioned Hawkins Patent No. 2,760,465. In such a machine,sheet metal tubular can bodies A (Figs; 1 and 2) having side seams B arestripe coated on the inside of the bodies along the side seam with afilm of coating material as the can bodies are advanced through themachine in a substantially continuous procession.

The can bodies A are advanced through the machine in spaced and timedrelation in end-to-end arrangement with their longitudinal axes inhorizontal alignment. For this purpose the can bodies are advanced alonga pair of spaced and parallel longitudinal magnetic rails 11 (Figs. 1and 2) which constitute a supporting horn.

These rails 11 are secured to and depend radially of the I members 14 ofthe main frame of the machine.

can bodies, from a longitudinal horn member 12 supported by brackets 13which extend up from frame The rails 11 hold the bodies in suspension bymagnetic attraction as shown in Fig. 2.

The can bodies A are propelled along the horn rails 11 by an endlesschain conveyor 18 having gripper or feed dogs 19 attached thereto atspaced intervals for engaging behind and gripping the can bodies. Theconveyor 18 is driven continuously in any suitable manner, preferably asdisclosed in the above mentioned Holloway Patent 2,220,107. The lowerrun of the conveyor 18 is guided adjacent the path of travel of the canbodies by supporting rollers 25 disposed on opposite sides of theconveyor adjacent the gripper dogs 19. These rollers 25 ride inlongitudinal grooves or tracks 26 in the horn member 12.

The treating or stripe spraying of the side seams B on the insidesurfaces of the can bodies A preferably is effected by a spray head ortreating device 31 (Fig. 1) having a discharge nozzle 32 from which anatomized fluid coating material is projected against the seams. Thisspray head 31 is disposed adjacent the horn rails 11 and in the path oftravel of the can bodies, being in substantial alignment with thelongitudinal axes of the bodies so that the bodies may readily pass overthe spray head telescopically.

The spray head 31 is attached to the discharge end of an elongated tube33 which constitutes a part of the treating device. This tube 33 extendsparallel with the horn rails 11, back toward the can body entrance endof the machine to a station in the machine just prior to the stationwhere the side seam is closed, so that the tube may be solidly supportedat this end. The tube 33 contains small pipes 34 which transmit fluidcoating material and compressed air to the spray head nozzle 32 from anysuitable source of supply of such fluids.

in order to support the free length of the tube 33 without interferencewith the can bodies A which surround the tube and which are advancing inspaced and processional order along the horn rails 11, one or moresupport devices are provided and are located one adjacent the spray head31 and as many more as required, located between the head and the fixedend of the tube, depending upon the length of the tube. These supportdevices include a pair of spaced and parallel helical support screws 36(Figs. 1, 2 and 4) which are disposed parallel with and below the tube,one screw being located on each side of the tube as best shown in Figs.2 and 4. These screws 36 are mounted on a pair of spaced and parallelshafts 37 the ends of which are journaled in bearing brackets 38 securedto the frame members 14.

The shafts 37 are rotated continuously in the proper direction and intime with the chain conveyor 18 by an endless drive chain 41 (Figs. 1and 2) which operates over a pair. of drive sprockets 42 mounted on theshafts 37 and over an idler sprocket 43 and a driven sprocket 44 mountedrespectively on short shafts 45, 46 journaled in one of the bearingbrackets 38. The shaft 46 which carries the driven sprocket 44 alsocarries a sprocket 48 which is rotated by an endless chain 49 actuatedby a sprocket 51 carried on a driven shaft 52 journaled in bearings 53on the frame 14. The driven shaft 52 extends back through the machineand is connected in any suitable manner as disclosed in the abovementioned Holloway Patent 2,220,017, to the driving devices of the bodychain conveyor 18.

The support screws 36 are formed with relatively deep helical threads 55which project into the path of travel of the can bodies A advancingalong the horn rails 11. The pitch of the'screws is slightly greaterthan the length of a can body A so that the can bodies will readilyfit-between longitudinally aligned portions of the threads. Theperipheral edges of the helical threads 55 preferably are fiat so as toserve as supports for the treating device. These flat edges of thethreads engage against and support an elongated freely rotatable sleeve57 which concentrically surrounds the tube 33.

The sleeve 57 is of a length substantially equal to the length of thescrews 36 and rests in the valley space between the screws. This sleeve57 surrounds the treating device tube 33 and is mounted on anti-frictionbearings or instrumentalities 59- carried on the tube 33. Retainingcollars 61 carried on the tube 33 adjacent the ends of the sleeve 57restrain the sleeve against endwise displacement along the tube.

Hence the sleeve 57 is freely rotatable and is extra sensitive torotation and thus requires only a slight effort to effect this rotation.The sleeve is of a diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the canbodies so that the advancing bodies can readily pass over and around thesleeve without interference.

With such a sleeve mounting for the treating device, the two screws 36with the outer peripheries of their helical threads 55 engaging againstthe freely rotatable sleeve 57 fioatingly support the spray head tube 33and retain the tube and the spray head 5 attached thereto in astabilized position substantially coincident with the longitudinal axesof the can bodies A. Such a support sleeve not only rotatesexceptionally freely but since its diameter is materially greater thanthe diameter of the tube 33, the sleeve is subject to a minimum of Wearand thus requires a minimum of maintenance expense and attention.

The helical threads 55 of the screws 36 preferably are identical andextend in the same direction, either right hand or left hand, with thetwo screws 36 rotating in the same direction, clockwise as shown in Fig.2 or counterclockwise if desired, depending upon the right or left handdirection of the screw threads, as long as the points of contact betweenthe screw threads and the sleeve 57 advance in the same direction as thetravel of the can bodies.

Thus one screw 36 tends to draw the supported treating device tube 33downwardly while the other screw tends to lift the treating deviceupwardly. These opposed reactions of the two screws against the sleeve57 tend to counteract each other with the result that the treatingdevice tube 33 supported by the sensitively mounted sleeve 57, tends tofloat in a stabilized position with a minimum weight or pressurereaction on the support screws.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a machine for treating tubular can bodies on the interior thereof,the combination of a horn for supporting the can bodies, a movableconveyor for advancing the can bodies along said horn, an elongatedtreating element disposed adjacent said horn in the path of travel ofsaid can bodies so that the bodies pass over and around said element intelescopic relation thereto for interior treatment of said bodies, afreely rotatable sleeve member surrounding said elongated treatingelement in space relation thereto, a pair of spaced and parallel supportscrews disposed adjacent the path of travel of said can bodies andhaving helical threads engaging at their peripheries against said freelyrotatable sleeve member for supporting said treating element in apredetermined position, said threads having a pitch greater than thelength of said can bodies for accommodation of individual can bodiestherebetween, and means for rotating said screws in the same directionin time with the movement of said conveyor for continuously suppportingsaid treating element without interfering with the advancement of saidcan bodies along said horn and over and around said treating element.

2. In a machine of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said freelyrotatable sleeve member is of a length substantially equal to the lengthof said screws and wherein said sleeve is freely mounted on and isrotatable relative to said elongated treating element.

3. In a machine of the character defined in claim 2 wherein ananti-friction bearing is disposed between said sleeve and said treatingelement to provide for sensitive rotation of said sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,760,465 Hawkins Aug. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 446,660 Italy Mar. 23,1949

